Five antiviral Covid treatments are too expensive, says UK government body

The UK’s government body that decides which medicines should be available on the National Health Service (NHS) has recommended withdrawing the use of five antiviral Covid-19 treatments.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidance that recommends stopping the use of the antiviral medicines by Merck & Co, Gilead Sciences, GSK, AstraZeneca and Roche, deeming them not cost-effective enough at their current prices.

Earlier this year the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended against the use of sotrovimab, produced by GSK and partner Vir Biotechnology, and casirivimab-imdevimab, the antibody cocktail by Regeneron and Roche, citing their reduced effectiveness against the Omicron variant.

The announcement by NICE has prompted dismay from the manufacturers as well as charities supporting people with conditions that impact their immune systems.

Impact on patients

In response, Gilead has said the guidance "is not reflective of existing evidence-based guidelines" including NICE’s own Covid-19 Rapid Guideline. However, GSK noted that it will continue to work with NICE “with the aim of maintaining access to sotrovimab for patients who need it.”

The charity Kidney Research UK has called the draft guidelines “discriminatory” and “unjust”. “Kidney patients have been horribly let down by this draft recommendation,” commented Alison Railton, Head of Policy and External Affairs.

She added: “They should not be forced to choose between withdrawing from society to shield from infection once again or risking severe outcomes from Covid-19 infection without adequate available treatments. With a notable proportion of the at-risk kidney disease community from ethnic minority backgrounds, older, and potentially living with disabilities, this decision could exacerbate health inequalities. We do not believe that this has been adequately considered by NICE in their cost-benefit analysis.”

NICE has recommended continuing use of Pfizer’s oral antiviral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, sold under the brand name Paxlovid, and two repurposed arthritis drugs subject to approval: Roche’s RoActemra and Eli Lilly’s Olumiant.

Quick links

• Bivalent Covid-19 vaccines: What they are and what they do
• Tackling infectious disease with innovative R&D approaches
• Top 10 vaccine manufacturers worldwide

Get exclusive access to member-only articles, reports, videos, interviews, webinars and other premium content from industry experts and thought leaders by signing up to Pharma IQ here.